Memos vs Strflow
We give Memos a 3.0 GPA and Strflow a 3.2, out of 4.0. Memos grades higher on the free plan and platforms. Strflow grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Strflow
Chat-style notes timeline for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Free plan · from $1.49/mo
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAMemosVery good | 3.2GPAStrflowVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe pricing page says the whole product costs $0, under the MIT licence, with no seat fees and no premium features. The only bill is for whatever server you put it on, and that goes to your host, not to Memos. | AStrflow Plus is $1.49 a month or $14.99 a year, about as cheap as paid note apps get. Lifetime is $37.99 if you'd rather pay once. What it buys is encrypted iCloud sync and backup, plus private tags locked behind Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. |
| Free plan and trial | AEverything is free: sharing, Spaces, the API and all three database options. There's one codebase and no Pro edition sitting above it. | BUnlimited notes, tags, reminders and attachments, free, with no account. The limit is one device: sync and backup both need Plus, so free notes on your iPhone never reach your Mac. Plus has a free trial, though the site doesn't say how long. |
| Features | BMarkdown memos with code, tables, task lists, math and diagrams, found by text, nested tags, date or place. Each one can be private or public. But there are no folders or notebooks, a Space doesn't let two people edit the same memo, and import only takes Memos' own export. | ANotes sent like messages into a timeline, a timeline per tag, a Todo timeline, and notes you can schedule to come back later with a notification. Rich text, links between notes, attachments, Markdown export and Spotlight search are all in. OCR, voice recording and a calendar view are still on the roadmap. |
| Ease of use | DYou must host it yourself. It ships as a Docker container or a binary, and running and backing up the server is on you. Writing a memo looks simple once it's up. Getting it up is the hard part. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. If you can send a text you can use this: type, send, done. There's no account to make and nothing to file first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app that installs as a PWA, a clipper extension for Chromium browsers and Firefox, and a Telegram bot. REST and gRPC APIs, webhooks and an MCP endpoint are all there too. No native phone or desktop apps are listed. | CiPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision, with Apple Shortcuts, widgets and the share sheet for getting notes in. All Apple, though. There's no Windows, Android or web version. |
| Best for | a private timeline of quick notes on your own server | texting notes to yourself on Apple devices |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Memos and Strflow. How we grade
Where they differ
- Memos is free. Strflow starts at $1.49 per month, or $14.99 per year.
- Only Memos lists a web app.
- Only Memos lists a browser extension.
- Only Strflow lists macOS and iOS apps.
- Memos is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Memos also covers Markdown, linked notes and web clipper.
- Strflow also covers tasks.
In commonFree planNotes
At a glance
| Memos | Strflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $1.49 per month, or $14.99 per year |
| Free plan | Free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid plans, seat fees or premium features. The only cost is whatever server, domain or backup storage you choose to run it on. | Unlimited notes, tags, reminders and attachments on one device, with no account. Sync and backup across devices need Strflow Plus. |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial of Strflow Plus; the site does not state its length |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | The Memos project | Shingo Eguchi |
| Price read from | usememos.com | strflow.app |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Memos
- Self-hosters who want quick notes on a server they control
- Short, frequent notes and logs rather than long structured documents
- Developers who want to script note capture through an API
Strflow
- People who already text themselves notes, links and to-dos
- Jotting thoughts down on iPhone or Mac without filing them first
- Apple users who want notes kept on device or in their own iCloud
Worth knowing
Memos
- The project runs no hosted service, so you need to operate and back up a server yourself or use an instance someone else runs.
- No native mobile or desktop apps are listed; phones and computers use the web app, which can be installed as a PWA.
- Import is marked as work in progress and accepts only a Memos export ZIP; imports from other note apps are not supported.
- Memos are not arranged in folders or notebooks, and a Space does not let several people edit the same memo.
Strflow
- The App Store listing covers iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision only; there is no Windows, Android or web version.
- Sync and backup between devices need Strflow Plus; the free plan keeps notes on one device.
- End-to-end encryption applies only when the user has turned on iCloud's Advanced Data Protection.
- Private tags are limited to Strflow Plus, and the roadmap still lists OCR, voice recording and a calendar view as planned or under consideration.
Key features
Memos
- Timeline of Markdown memos
- Memos are written in Markdown with code highlighting, tables, task lists, math and diagrams, and need no title or folder before saving.
- Search, tags, calendar and map
- Find a memo by its text, nested #tags, the day it was written or the place attached to it. Views save a filter expression for reuse.
- Per-memo visibility and Spaces
- Each memo is private, open to signed-in users, public or limited to a Space. Spaces gather members and memos in one feed but do not grant shared editing.
- Self-hosted in one container
- Runs with Docker, Kubernetes or a binary for Linux, macOS or Windows, and keeps data in SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL on infrastructure you control.
- API, webhooks and MCP server
- REST and gRPC APIs cover the product's features, signed webhooks fire when memos change, and a built-in MCP endpoint lets AI assistants search and write memos.
- Web Clipper and Telegram capture
- A browser extension for Chromium-based browsers and Firefox saves pages, selections and images as Markdown, and a Telegram bot forwards messages into Memos.
Strflow
- Chat-style timeline
- Notes are typed into a message box and sent, which builds a chronological timeline. Adding tags creates separate timelines for individual topics.
- To-do timeline and reminders
- Checklists are collected into a dedicated Todo timeline. A note can be scheduled for a future date; it stays hidden until then and arrives with a notification.
- Capture from anywhere
- Notes can be added from the share sheet, from widgets, through Apple Shortcuts actions, or on the Mac with a keyboard shortcut that opens a quick note panel.
- Rich text and attachments
- The editor handles inline and block formatting, checklists, links between notes and link previews. Images and other file types such as PDFs and videos can be attached.
- Encrypted iCloud sync
- Strflow Plus syncs and backs up notes through iCloud, encrypted with the iCloud Keychain. With Apple's Advanced Data Protection turned on, the data is end-to-end encrypted.
- Markdown export and Spotlight search
- All notes can be exported as Markdown. Notes, tags, link previews and attachment file names can be found through Spotlight on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Plans
Memos
Memos software$0
Every feature, including sharing, Spaces, the API and all three database backends. Hosting is arranged and paid for separately.
Strflow
Free$0
Unlimited notes on a single device with all core features, including tags, reminders and attachments. No account needed.
Strflow Plus (Monthly)$1.49
per month
Encrypted iCloud sync and backup across iPhone, iPad and Mac, plus private tags locked behind Face ID, Touch ID or the device passcode.
Strflow Plus (Annual)$14.99
per year
The same Strflow Plus features as the monthly plan, billed once a year through the App Store.
Strflow Plus (Lifetime)$37.99
one-time purchase
Non-renewing purchase of Strflow Plus. The US App Store also lists a $27.99 lifetime price for people who have paid for a yearly subscription.
Ways to pay less
Memos
No public discounts listed.
Strflow
- Annual discount
About 16% off with annual billing
Strflow Plus costs $14.99 a year against $1.49 a month, which comes to $17.88 over 12 months, a saving of about 16%.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime Strflow Plus for $37.99
A one-time, non-renewing purchase gives permanent access to Strflow Plus. The terms say a discounted lifetime price may be offered to people who have paid for a yearly subscription.
